


Name Change

by LHAo3 (LuluHalulu)



Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-21
Updated: 2014-08-21
Packaged: 2018-02-14 01:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2173458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuluHalulu/pseuds/LHAo3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beatrice and Benedick debate a name change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Name Change

**Author's Note:**

> Just a tiny drabble I wrote in like 20 minutes while I was bored waiting for my mom, so it’s not so good. However, I figure that we need all the new fan content we can get during this trying time. I’m not entirely sure how old Bea and Ben are in this fic, but I figured it was some time after they were finished with university and both had full-time jobs, so maybe mid-to-late twenties.
> 
> (Also, I'm fully aware of how terrible the title is, but I couldn't for the life of me think of something clever.)

“You know Bea, I’ve been thinking about something lately.”

“Wow, congratulations.” Beatrice didn’t bother looking up from her laptop. She had work to finish and Ben tended to ramble on whether she paid much attention or not.

“No, seriously! I’ve been thinking about your name recently, and I’ve decided that I don’t really like it.”

Now she looked up from her laptop with a raised eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Your name—your last name particularly—it just doesn’t sound right.”

“What the hell are you talking about? What should my last name be then?” 

He shrugged nonchalantly as he picked up his and her now empty mugs and headed towards the sink. “…Hobbes?”

It took a second to register in her mind, but when it did Beatrice leapt up and followed him. “Was that your idea of a proposal?”

He shrugged noncommittally, “What’s your answer if it was?”

She shook her head. “No way—that’s not how it works. You either ask or you don’t.”

This threw him off, if only for a second before his bravado picked back up. “Fine. Dearest, darling Beatrice, will you do me the honour of changing your name?”

“No.” She saw his nerve deflate and quickly followed up her answer. “I don’t like your name all that much. I think _you_ , in fact, should change your name to Duke.” 

Ben couldn’t suppress his grin as he leaned towards his girlfriend. “Oh, is that so?”

Beatrice crossed her arms and held back her own grin. “And? What’s your answer?”

“Hm…” He leaned back and crossed his own arms across his chest. “Well, I don’t like your name and you don’t like mine, so I say we compromise.”

Furrowing her eyebrows, she continued their little standoff, indicating for him to go on. 

“How about we both change our names.” He suggested, “Benedick and Beatrice Hobbes-Duke.”

She scoffed, “No way! Beatrice and Benedick _Duke-Hobbes_.”

Ben shook his head. “I really think my suggestion has a better ring to it.”

“I disagree.” 

“Well, I guess we’re at an impasse then. Neither of us are changing our names.”

“I guess so.” 

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

They continued their standoff for a few more long seconds before Bea slowly uncrossed her arms. “Hobbes-Duke isn’t _so_ bad, I suppose.” She resigned, not looking Ben in the eyes.

He hummed and uncrossed his arms, pulling her in by the waist. “I don’t know…now that I’m thinking about it, Duke-Hobbes sounds pretty good.”

There was a short pause, then, slowly, when they couldn’t hold it in anymore, their faces split into grins as they bubbled over with uncontrollable laughter. 

“Oh! Almost forgot about this.” Digging into his pocket, he pulled out a small box. “Not a jewellery-girl, I know, but, it is tradition, and it’s been in my family for generations.” 

Bea took the velvet box and smiled up at him. He was right, she wasn’t into fancy jewellery, but the ring was beautiful, and she was more than excited about what it represented. Shaking her head incredulously, she sighed, “I can’t believe we’re getting married…” 

“So that’s a yes then?” She just shoved his shoulder and he leaned down, cupping her cheek and pulling her in for a kiss.

When they pulled away, Bea couldn’t help but let out a snort. “Our friends are going to be insufferable when they find out.”

Ben just shrugged, “Eh, what do they know? They’re just jealous of how brilliant we are.” 

Beatrice mimicked his shrug and responded by simply pulling him back in for a long kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this tumblr post: http://rickriordamnit.tumblr.com/post/56762421892/percy-you-know-annabeth-i-really-dont-like
> 
> My take on how Bea and Ben get engaged. They’re both so stubborn and confrontational that I could imagine them actually somewhat getting into an argument when it happens. Plus Bea is totally not going to give in to any stereotypical gender norms by automatically changing her name to his, or even just letting him be the only one to propose—so they technically proposed to each other. Also, as for the name, I thought hyphenating it would be kind of a funny compromise, although I’m not sure which of their names they ended up deciding would go first. Hope you enjoyed! A review would be greatly appreciated! :)


End file.
